NATIONAL AUTHORITIES RESPONSIBLE FOR ACCESS TO JUSTICE TO MEET IN COLOMBIA TO STRENGTHEN HEMISPHERIC LEGAL COOPERATION IN THAT AREA

On December 10 and 11, 2014, the Training Center of the Spanish Cooperation Agency (AECID) in the Colombian city of Cartagena will be the venue for the Technical Meeting of the Justice Ministries (REMJA) on Legal Cooperation in Access to Justice. This event was planned at REMJA IX with the purpose of exchanging information and experiences on access to justice and formulating recommendations for strengthening hemispheric legal cooperation in that area.

This meeting, which is being organized under the aegis of the Inter-American cooperation process known as the Meetings of Ministers of Justice or Other Ministers or Attorneys General of the Americas (REMJA), will be attended by the authorities responsible for leading access to justice policies in the OAS member states and by representatives of OAS agencies and other international organizations, civil society organizations, the private sector, and academics whose work deals with this topic.

Information will be exchanged on such matters as recent legal developments in the field in different countries of the Americas, dealing with such issues as alternative methods for resolving disputes and institutions for bringing justice closer to the public, such as integrated centers for justice and legal assistance. Presentations will also be given on innovative programs and successful experiences with using new technologies to facilitate access to justice, such as connectivity tools for communications between parties and conflict resolution, on-line legal services, videoconference hearings, electronic notifications, and case electronic files.

Given the technical nature of the meeting and the quality of the guests who have been invited to speak, each with direct, practical knowledge of the topics to be addressed, it is expected that it will produce specific recommendations for strengthening hemispheric legal cooperation in the area of access to justice.